‘We will go dark on January 19, unless…’ TikTok says on its imminent ban

Bytedance’s wildly popular app TikTok has made it clear that it will shut down its services in the US on January 19. TikTok said that unless the outgoing Biden administration provides assurances that companies like Apple, Google, and other service providers will not face penalties for supporting the app, it will go completely dark.

In an official statement, TikTok said, “Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19.”

TikTok’ statement comes hours after a unanimous Supreme Court ruling on Friday, which upheld a law mandating service providers to cease supporting the app in the US unless its parent company, ByteDance, completes a “qualified divestiture” by Sunday. Failure to comply could result in severe penalties for companies like Apple, Google, and Oracle.

“The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans,” TikTok further added in the statement.